The final game of the 2024 Super League season pitched the top two sides over the regular season against one another in the Grand Final at Old Trafford as defending champions Wigan Warriors looked for back-to-back trophies against a Hull KR side appearing their first ever flagship event.
Traditional Grand Final day weather greeted the sides, rain pouring onto an already sodden turf, in a stadium adorned with red and white and cherry and white as the Robins looked to upset the formbook and the bookies odds and become only the fifth name to be etched onto the trophy.
The Warriors were handicapped by six points on the coupon, but many pundits thought that the gap would be wide in Wigan’s favour after two wins in the three meetings between the two sides this season, although only four points separated the sides the last time that they met at the beginning of September.
The opening sets were cautious from both sides with neither side willing to take the chance of gifting the opening points through an error. It took a moment of Mikey Lewis genius for what appeared the break the deadlock on ten minutes, but a knock-on by Tyrone May in the build-up was seen by the referee and confirmed by the video ref.
Junior Nsemba was helped off the field on thirteen after hitting his head on the turf after falling awkwardly in the tackle and requiring a head impact assessment.
On twenty-two a superb solo effort from Bevan French broke the deadlock as he sprinted through a gap on the halfway line and accelerated to score by the right upright leaving the KR chasers in his wake. Adam Keighran added the conversion for a 6-0 lead. Wigan were off and running.
Liam Marshall had a try ruled out on twenty-five after an uninvolved player was pinged for offside from an initial high kick.
On thirty-three Hull KR came the closest that they had so far in the game with Lewis being held up over the line. With a single second left on the clock Harry Smith kicked a drop goal from thirty metres out to extend the lead to seven points at the break, both sides still in the game but advantage to Wigan.
KR threw everything they had at Wigan in the opening minutes of the second half, Lewis and Hall both coming close to scoring as they pressured the line. A late contact after a pass gave KR the opportunity to open their account and score the first points against Wigan for over five hours, Lewis hitting the target, in off the far post, for 2-7 on fifty-six.
A lift tackle from Lewis on the hour mark allowed Keighran to re-establish the two try lead when he kicked the resulting penalty goal.
The game should have been over on sixty-four as Jake Wardle slid towards the line, but under the tackle of Ryan Hall the ball came loose just short of the line and the Hull KR fans breathed a sigh of relief.
KR had their opportunities in the closing minutes but as they became increasingly frantic the finesse deserted them, and the Wigan defence held strong to the victory.
Wigan are the Champions again, unequalled in the last couple of years, and dominant in the trophy lifting stakes. Hull KR have had a taste of the big occasion and will come back stronger, but they made too many errors with the ball in hand tonight to challenge for glory. Bevan French’s try was nothing short of genius and befitting of the score which won a Grand Final and won him the Rob Burrow award as Man of the Match, Wigan have established themselves as the side to beat and will certainly be challenging for another clean sweep next season as the others Superleague sides play catchup.
Wigan Warriors: Field, Miski, Keighran (2/2 G), Wardle, Marshall, French (T), Smith (DG), Havard, Leeming, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell, Ellis. Subs: Byrne, Mago, Dupree, Forber. 18thMan: Walters.
Hull KR: Evalds, Burgess, Hiku, Broadbent, Hall, May, Lewis (1/1 G), Sue, Parcell, Whitbread, Hadley, Batchelor, Minchella. Subs: Litten, Luckley, Storton, Tanginoa. 18th Man: Brown.
Half-Time: 7-0.
Full-Time: 9-2.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 7-0 : HT: 7-2, 9-2 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Wigan.
Referee: Chris Kendall.
Attendance: 68,173.
